Firefighters battling to contain wildfires, which have scorched thousands of acres, destroyed homes, forced widespread evacuations across region
The death toll in the Los Angeles wildfires has climbed to 16 as the relentless blazes continue to rage for a fifth consecutive day, authorities said.
Five of the deaths were attributed to the Palisades fire and 11 resulted from the Eaton fire, the LA County medical examiner's office confirmed.
At least four wildfires are still burning across the Los Angeles County.
The fires have burned 40,000 acres by Saturday, destroyed more than 12,000 structures and over 150,000 people are under evacuation order.
The largest inferno burned 23,654 acres in and around the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood near the coast. Further inland, the Eaton Fire burned 14,117 acres in the foothills in and around the city of Altadena, northeast of downtown Los Angeles, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Palisades fire is 11% contained, while the Eaton fire gained more momentum in containment, rising to 15% from a low 3% on Friday.
Two other smaller fires – the Hurst and Kenneth fires – are still burning in the LA area, while the Archer and Lidia fires have been fully contained.
